A fascinating collection that provides English-speakers with a glimpse at the genius of Nobel laureate Czeslaw Milosz, “Poet in the New World: Poems, 1946–1953” is a new translation of the works Mr. Milosz composed during the immediate aftermath of World War II.

This was an interesting period in the poet’s life, he had just been through and survived the horrors of the war in his native Poland, he saw the aftermath of the death and destruction, and he now had to cope with a communist regime being imposed by the USSR using force against his countrymen. Already a published and somewhat known poet, he cooperated with the government and eventually was appointed a cultural attaché in the West, at times in the US and France. When the communists became too aggressive and his freedom was threatened, Milosz defected and remained in the West until later in his life when it was safe for him to return. This volume captures those poems from his time in exile.

These are definitely the musings of a survivor, an exile. Mr. Milosz continues to be haunted by his experiences in the war, in what he has seen his country reduced to afterwards. We also see his remembrances and longing for his homeland, the gravesite of his mother, the guilt he feels of enjoying Paris and freedom while his countrymen suffer behind the Iron Curtain.

Of course, much is lost when one translates poetry into a foreign language, but one can tell the strength of his images, the rhythm of his language, the emotion behind every line. A deep exploration of a time and place.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Ecco via NetGalley. Thank you!

I'd never heard of Czeslaw Milosz before this, but was intrigued since my family comes from this area, but never talked about this, and immediately I felt this awe at the style and the way it flowed. I was intrigued by the way he grappled with memory and war, as well as violence and what a legacy can be or will be, as well as how fears seem to grow or change or reappear. I can't wait to read more of his works in translation.

…these poems… tell the story of a poet recovering from a war of extraordinary violence, taking his bearings in a new world, and trying to locate and understand his task as a poet. from the Introduction by Robert Hass

“My pen is lighter than a hummingbird’s feather. This burden is too much for it to bear,” Czesław Milosz writes in Warsaw, written in 1945. “Leave to poets a moment of happiness, Otherwise your world will perish. It’s madness to live without joy.” It is the opening poem in Poet in the New World. He had witnessed war’s violence in his homeland of Poland. In 1951 through 1953 lived in the United States, still processing the past and the evolving post-war world.

In pe, he warns of the impermanence of things–countries, cities, people, the past. On the Song of a Bird on the Banks of the Potomac, he “listens to your lovely ones with joy,” the bird unaware of what the poet has seen.

Treatise on Morals, written in 1947, particularly affected me. “Can anything save the earth?” he begins, but later writes, “You are not, however, so helpless, /And even if you were a stone in a field, /An avalanche changes its course /Depending on the stones it rolls over.” He encourages, “And so remember: in a difficult moment,/You must be the ambassador of dreams.” And asserts, “My poem should be a refuge against despair.”

Treatise warns “Beware madmen,” the “greatest disaster in nature,” and “This is your world. It is on the line./The politicians have already lost the game”, ending “before us lies “The Heart of Darkness.”

The poet endures. And the whisper of his voice is great and gives comfort to people. from To Tadeusz Rozewicz, Poet by Czeslaw Milosz

In To Laura, he writes “The precious virtue of freedom remains/And it needs to be won every day./Thousands will put on their own shackles/And poison their hearts.”

What Milosz writes about it not just the past, about history, what has happened. The message remains sharp and immediate today.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book through NetGalley.

Poet In The New World represents snapshots of Czeslaw Milosz's life from 1945-1953 while living in Warsaw, Washington, DC, and other places in Europe. The poems range from feeling dread and despair to love and hope during this time in his life. The imagery is sometimes stark yet vivid. His feelings are completely laid bare for all to see.

This is an excellent collection of poems to read for pleasure or academic purposes (comparing this to his other works at other times in his life). Reminds of Leonard Cohen before Leonard Cohen's work existed.

Highly recommended.